Snatcher Leech Lake Tournament

2/11 Evergreen Soft Shell Frog

Sarah getting prepared to teach Chuck Steinbauer how it's done

Beau Wins 4th Co-Angler Challenge of the Year.

Tuma Wins and Got Lunker As Well

Conditions: 37-57℉, Sunny turning mostly Cloudy around 2PM, 0-4mph NE

The Day:
I forgot to bring my sunglasses. Fortunately, my boater had an extra pair in his glove box.  Also, it was nice to draw a partner with dual consoles so I didn't freeze on the ride to Boy Bay.  We started in the reeds on the North end of Bear Island.  I got the first bite of the day on a junebug Craw Tube, but it got off.  I thought it was a bass, but my line was frayed so maybe it was a pike.  I got two other bites in the reeds.  The first one dropped it immediately and the second had me into a reed before I could even set the hook.  Wasn't able to get either fish to hit again.  After an hour of that, we headed for some rice.

We started shallow working our way along the rice line to deeper rice.  Ruff had a couple fish strike at his frog, but not hook up.  The second fish was 2/3lb bass that jumped completely out of the water but didn't get the frog.  Once we got to the deeper rice Paul but the first small keeper in the boat on a craw tube.  I think slightly before that Dennis showed up and started fishing about 50 yards up or so in the direction we were heading. I took that as a positive sign.  Paul got the second fish of the day as well.  He only got one more non-keeper for the rest of the day.  He had about the same number of bites as me.  Over the next couple of hours, I managed to get 4 keepers in the boat on the junebug Craw Tube.  I missed a couple of bites on a frog and a few on the Craw Tube.  By noon my upper back was sore.

At About 1:30PM we left the rice for the northern Shoreline of Boy where we fished a couple of docks, some rushes which transitioned into rice.  We didn't get anything.  So we went in search of reed beds on that northern shore.  Ruff got his short there. With an hour of fishing time left, we headed back to the rice and Dennis was there again.  We put into the rice about 50 yards away.  Paul missed a fish and then I got a keeper on a Green Pumpkin/Brown craw tube.  Shortly after that Dennis motored in much closer to us and informed us we came right in on the juice.  He also reported his non-boater Snatcher rookie Jon Notsch was kicking his ass.  I asked Dennis what size weight they were using.  He was using 1oz and said Jon used a 1/2oz, but Jon said he was now using a 1oz as well.  I ended up getting bit off so I switched back to the junebug Craw Tube and upgraded to a 1/2oz weight: I had been using 5/16th.  We motored back on the other side of Dennis and I quickly got my limit fish in the boat.  I got a fish that wouldn't help and got bit off two more times.  With 20-minutes left I got two culls on an Evergreen Frog including my big fish of the day.

The Results: My bass weighed 11/04 which put me in 10th Place out of 20 anglers. 1st Place and Lunker were caught by Keith Tuma (20/02) (4/01).  The Co-Angler Challenge was won by Beau Bacon for 4th time this year with a 3rd Place finish out of Tim Benson's boat.  Three anglers blanked and only 8 limits were caught.  Tough bite.

I ended up in 9th Place for the year

My Thoughts: I didn't fish particularly efficiently because I struggled with casting accuracy all day long thanks to a poor night's rest coming in and the really long day I spent on the water on Thursday. Other than that I thought I fished pretty well.  We spent at least half the day where there were no fish.   Once again a kicker fish eluded me.

Evening on Platte

2.46lbs/16.5" Ish's (Brown)

5:30-8:15PM West Point, Channel Inn, SPBI, F Flat

60-73℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-4mph West

I started on West Point getting a pike off of the dock to the east of the juice dock on the Jackhammer.  I then got 3 bass off of the juice dock on the bone Shower Blows 105 and also had one fish miss it as well.  I then tried the pad dock and didn't get a hit, so I was off the Channel Inn Bay.  I went to the pads north of the rice point.  There was so action up shallower so I made my way that direction.  I got two bass including the big one of the night off of the same spot on a brown Ish's Frog.  I also missed a couple of bites in the junk  At a quarter to seven I made my way out of the junk to the rice point.  Didn't get anything, so it was off to SPSI and I didn't get a bite there either.  SPBI was next and I got a 15-incher there on the bone Shower Blows.  Also had a good fish boil on it but not hook up. NPBI was a disappointment, not even a sniff.  I went to F Flat and got a couple of dinks on the Shower Blows and the Pompadour.  It was another really nice night to be out.  Had a couple skeeters bother me, but that didn't last long.

Morning & Evening On Platte

2.79lbs/17" Craw Tube (Junebug)

6:50-11:00AM: NPBI, NPSI, Chuck's Point, SNW Dock, NW Juice, NPBI, West Point
55-63℉, Sunny to Cloudy, 3-8mph West
Water Level High and Rising

A lot of shooting this morning as I was getting loaded up and once I got out. North Point Big Island was my first stop.  I got a 16 and 13 there along with a 20-inch pike on the Jackhammer.  From there I went to B.I. South Point and didn't get anything there.  I then went to NPSI and got a pike there on the Jackhammer.  I got some pike on the Jackhammer at the SPSI (I went up the East side of the Island a little way, not just off the point).  I then went to Chuck's Point and got some hits in the Ish's that didn't hook up.  I broke off a craw tube on a fish in the trash and reeds.  I got a couple of bass (17, 14.25) along the reed/pad edge and a couple of pike.  I made my way toward the NW Bay getting a couple of dinks off the SNW Dock on a Senko Knock Off.  I got a 15-incher there on the reed edge and also lost a fish on the reed edge. From there I headed to the NW Juice.  There was a duck hunter sitting in Todd's Pond.  Got a couple of pike there and a 13-incher on the War Eagle Buzz Toad and missed a couple of bites as well.  I missed bites as I came in at NPBI and West Point.  Made it home with about 15-minutes to spare before kick-off.

Vikes manhandled to Raiders 34 -14

9 Bass
11 Pike   
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6:30-8:00PM Starting Spot to Double Cane Point
60℉, Mostly Cloudy, 0-4 WSW

I should have gotten out earlier, but what am I gonna do the Twins were on and won the game 12-8 vs KC.  I headed out to the starting spot.  There was a buzzbait ripple on the water and that was what I was throwing.  Got a bunch of pike and 2 bass on the War Eagle Buzz Toad and missed some hits as well. Also got 1 pike on the Jackhammer.  Had a couple pike swipe at me in the reeds on the Ish's and missed one quality knock on the Ish's.  I got sucked into that beautiful looking stuff yet again.  It's just sad it isn't holding fish this year.  I stopped at the NPBI on the way in.  It was calm and totally peaceful so I just floated for a while before finally heading in.

9 Pike
2 Bass

Ok Evening On Platte

26" Jackhammer

16" Ish's Phat Frog

6:00-8:00PM West Point, Channel Inn Bay, SPSI, SPBI, NPBI
70-74℉, Mostly Sunny, 3-8mph SW
Water Level High and rising got an inch plus today

I didn't get a hit at West Point, disappointing. I then went to Channel Inn Bay.  Before I got to the first boat channel I had the pike not hook up on the full-size Shower Blows Knock Off.  I got it a few casts later on the Jackhammer.   I then had something hit the Ish's at the first boat channel but not get it.  I cast in with the Craw Tube and the line broke on the hookset, 90% it was a pike.  A fish then it something back in the formerly thick rice.  I got the 16-incher in the same general area. I had another fish swirl on the frog.  Wasn't able to get it with a follow-up.  Inbetween boat lanes I had a bass give up its position nailing me just after the frog hit. For some reason tonight I altered the way I handled my end of cast with a frog to how I fish with a trebled topwater.  Doing it that way leaves me susceptible to poor hooksets if a fish hits right after the lure lands.  I need to break myself of this poor new habit I've developed.  I did get the bass on the All-Terrain Grassmaster that Cyberfish left in the boat.  I got one more 14-inch bass in the rice.  At about 7:20 I headed for SPSI.  Nothing there so went to SPBI. Got my last bass of the night there, a 13.75" on the Jackhammer.  I ended on NPBI.  It was really pleasant out and no skeeters to speak of.  Tremendous lighting show to the East as I headed in.

4 Bass
1 Pike 

Good Morning On Platte

3.65lbs/18.5" Shower Blows 105 (Bone)

3.54lbs/18.33" SBKO (KO Firetiger)

3.02lbs/16.66" Jackhammer (PB&J)

 6:50AM-12:10PM West Point, NPBI, SPBI, NPSI, SPBI, SI Flat, GOMH, F Flat
75-65℉, Foggy turning partly Cloudy, 3-8mph SE
Water Level rising

I started off the morning in the fog going to West Point.  I had my craw tube get taken off on the hookset.  I then had two Neko Yum Dingers get taken on hooksets.  What was going on with my plastics getting stolen?  Finally, I caught a 13-incher on the Dinger and a Craw Tube.  Next was NPBI.  I got 22.5" pike there on the Jackhammer and a 13-inch bass on the Craw Tube.  I then went to SPBI.  Was unable to convert bites at the juice.  I then went down the reed point and on to the flat getting some pike on the Jackhammer and losing a couple fish as well.  I then went to NPSI which was protected from the wind.  The morning monster hammered to bone Shower Blows 105.  I also got a pike on the Jackhammer.  I ran down the West side of the island getting on pike on the War Eagle Buzztoad.  The fog broke as I made my way South Point.  I had a quality fish not hook up on the Shower Blows.  I threw the larger Shower Blows Knock Off back to the same area and the 18-incher crushed it.  Not sure if it was the same fish or not.  I got a 14.75-inch fish on the SBKO a few minutes later and got a 16-incher on the bone Shower Blows.  I got another 14.75" fish on the flat throwing the KO.  I then headed to the GOMH and came up empty.  I didn't get anything at the NPBI.  I then went to F Flat and got the final 3lber of the morning there on the Jackhammer along with 15.75"  and a couple of small pike; I also lost a couple of really good feeling fish.  I called it a morning just a little after noon.  Pete called when I was taking stuff out of the boat.  He was going to come up to fish with me tonight but then didn't do to car issues.  I decided not to go out in the evening. 

11 Bass
6 Pike

17.15lbs

Ok Night, Lost a Few That Felt Good

2.33lbs/16.5" Pompadour (Bone)

4:50-8:25PM NPBI, Big Rice Point Rice/Pads, NPBI, SPBI, GOMH
80-70℉, Sunny, 0-3mph SE

Due to having to get the flu shot I got out on the lake later than I wanted too.  It was dead calm and warm.  I decided to skip West Point and went straight to the North Point Big Island. I got the 16-incher on the Pompadour after losing the first fish to hit it.  A fish hit something out on the flat to the South so I went to investigate.  Had a pike strike at me. I went back to the point and caught a couple of dinks on the chrome Shower Blows.  Then I headed to Big Rice.  Sure enough, fish were in the area I thought they might be in the pads and sparce rice.  Unfortunately, a bunch of them were pike and the bass were just 14-inchers.  At 6:45 I headed to NPBI.  I got one 4-incher there on the Jackhammer.  I lost a good feeling fish on both the Grassmaster Jig and Craw Tube.  I then headed to SPBI where I jumped off two good ones on the Pompadour.  I also dropped a fish on the Shower Blows.  I caught a couple of dinks on the Shower Blows.  I went to SPSI and got nothing.   I then went to the GOMH hoping I might get some gold.  I got a 3lb jumper instead.  No glowing eyes in the tube.

Good Evening On Small to Average Size Fish (Docks/NPBI)

6:20-8:00PM West Point. Pad Dock, NPBI

75-80℉, Partly Cloudy, 6-12mph ESE

Water Level rising

There wasn't as much water in the boat as I expected.  The wind seemed to be blowing more out of the East in our bay, but more out of the South in Don's Bay, kind of strange.  I started at West point getting two dinks off of the dock just to the west of the juice dock on the Jackhammer.  I had the Terminator Jig get bit off/break off on the juice dock.  I caught a 14" bass right after that on the Craw Tube.  I then headed to the "pad dock" and got a dink there.  After not gettitng anything on the next couple and with the wind seemly diminishing a bit I headed out to the North Point of the Big Island.  I got 14-incher there on the Rat Plopper.  I then got a 14", 16",  and a 13" on the Jackhammer.  I also lost 3 or 4 bites.  I missed a bite on the Terminator Jig and got a 12.5, 16.5, and 14 on the junebug Craw Tube.  I did get to SPBI, but by then it was too dark and the wind had come back up again.

12 Bass

Not bad for an hour and a half

Tough Morning In the Trophy

3.08lbs/17" Yum Dinger (GP/Red)

6:50-10:50AM NPBI, SPBI, NPSI,SPBI, West Access Flat/Rice, 6lb Flat to Cane Access Across
75-65℉, Partly Cloudy, 3-8mph SE
WT: 66℉

Nothing at the big Island points.  Don't know if getting out 10 minutes earlier would have made a difference.  I got a small bass on the Jackhammer off fo North Point Big Island.  Nothing off of SPSI.  Just before I was going to take off for the GOMH a car showed up, doh.

I headed for the docks on Platte Access Point.  Nothing there, so I continued on to the West Flat.  I had a good fish miss the War Eagle Buzztoad.  Couldn't tell if it was a pike or a bass.  I got a small bass in the rice. I went across to 6lb flat and got a better there on the War Eagle.  I drifted my way down non-existent Big Rice Point.  Had the 17-incher not hook up on the Buzztoad.  I anchored and got the fish on the Dinger.  I was leary about drifting further in even though it looked good so I didn't.  Hit up NPBI and then made my way to 3 Loon Flat where I got a dink and a pike on the Jackhammer.  The fish just weren't going very well.  I covered a ton of water.

2 Pike
5 Bass

Good Night After Vikings Loss

3.59lbs/18.33' Shower Blows 105

2.86lbs/17.25lbs Shower Blows 105

16" Yum Dinger

5:10-8:10PM Our Place to Don's, NPBI, SPBI, SPSI
70-76℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-8mph SE
Temp gauge not working

Kirk Cousins pretty much cost us the game in Lambert today with an assist to the ref's and Dan Bailey.  I got on the water a little later than I should have and was a little under focused.  I started right out front heading West.  The first bite was a pretty good size pike (24-26ish) that missed the white Plopper 110 coming completely out of the water.  I then had a fish steal a claw off my Craw Fatty.  I got 15.5" on the Terminator Jig under the dock before West Point.  I got a 14-incher off of West Point on the orange SBKO.  I got enamored by the sunfish flicking around off the point beyond the rice.  Finally, I got back on track and headed back to the docks. I think I got 4 bass off of the first dock I went to (The one just beyond the pad field).  I ended up losing the jig because I didn't retie.  Then there was nothing on about the next 6 docks.  I missed a hit on the jig, but managed to convert it on the Dinger Neko Rigged.  I talked to Don for a minute then headed to NPBI.  Should have left 10 to 15 minutes earlier.  The wind had died.  I got a 17.25-incher on the Shower Blows 105 at NPBI.  I then went to SPBI and got the big fish of the night there on the Shower Blows along with a couple of other upgrades.  I put on the orange SBKO and lost my last bite of the night which was a 16/17ish fish.  By the time I got to SPSI, it was too dark the fish had shut off.  There was baitfish activity, however.

12 Bass
2 Pike

Due to lost fish, I was under 16lbs for the Night

Possibly The Last Hurrah With Todd for 2019

Todd's Toad 18.25" Pure Poison/Grass Pig Jr.

 

Double to start the Morning

22" Craw Tube (Junebug)

17.33" Blitz Frog

Got the Dock and Pontoon Pulled In

7:00-11:30AM NPBI, SPSI, GOMH, West Access Flat, 6lb Flat, Big Rice Point, Chuck's to NW Juice, NPBI, West Point
68-48℉, Mostly Cloudy, 0-5mph SE
WT: 58-60℉

Todd came up to take stuff out of the lake while it's still warm out.  Now that the water is too cold for swimming the girls really aren't into cabin life anymore.  I wish I would have gotten up to the lake place 15 to 20 minutes earlier than I did. We beat the sunrise, but just barely.  We went straight to North Point Big Island.  I had a 16-incher hook up on my Shower Blows and a couple seconds later Todd had 14.33-incher hit. A double is a great way to start the morning. I think Todd lost a fish and I got one more.  Then we were off to South Point Small Island.  I think we got a couple small fish there on topwater. Then I took us to the GOMH.  Todd got a jumpin' bullhead on the SW and SE sides inside the tube.  I got the golden pretty much right down the middle.  It was a scrawny thing.

Next, we headed to rice on West Access Flat.  I think Todd missed a hit in the dying rice.  I got two fish on the Flat on a Shower Blows.   Something got blown up over towards 6lb Flat so we cruised there.  Todd got a couple small pike and small bass there.  We also missed a couple of blow-ups.  I got my big fish of the morning on what is left of Big Rice Point.  We then headed to Chuck's Point and worked all the way to the NW Juice.  We missed several bites and picked up some pike.  We stopped at NPBI on the way back in and bass were hanging out there.  Todd really cashed in with the Pure Poison getting the 18 and 17.  I think we also hit West Point on the way back in.  I may have gotten one small bass.
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4.07lbs/19" SBKO (Orange)

17" Pure Poison/Grass Pig Jr.

South Point Big Island

5:00-8:00PM  N Across Flat, F Flat, NPBI, CPBI, SPBI, SPSI63-68℉, Mostly Cloudy, 0-8mph SE

We started off in the reeds across the way and it was dead, so when we got to the cut I motored out to the N Flat/Reed Edge. Todd got the first bite there. A small pike on the Sprinker.  We then drifted down the flat not getting anything until we arrived at F Flat where the Pike were active in the wind. We were throwing chatterjigs.  I did get one 15.5-inch bass on the Jackhammer and Todd got a dink on the Poison.  I then took us to NPBI. I got several nice bass and Todd got the 17-incher.  I then stopped at the Center Point Big Island.  I got one small bass there.  Off to SPBI.  I drifted us down toward the Island from off the tip.  Todd got a pike and I got a couple decent bass.  We both lost a couple of bites.  Then we were off to SPSI and I got the big fish of the day with the 4lber on the orange Shower Blows Knock Off.  I got one last quality fish up by the reeds.  Todd missed a bite on the Sprinker out over the flat.  It was totally calm at the South Point which surprised both of us.

19.42lbs Not a bad day at all

Got A Dog, No Bass

23" War Eagle Buzz Toad/ZHT (Black/Chart)

6:00-8:00PM Melon Patch, 6lb Flat, Starting Spot
73-63℉, Partly Cloudy, 2-6mph NW
WT: 66℉

Mom forgot her phone so I had to drive into Onamia to bring it to her.  I was not pleased with losing a half-hour of fishing as I was already getting a late start.  I figured the fish would be snapping.  They weren't.  I went 45 minutes without a fish in the boat.  Finally, I managed to get the dogfish.  It swiped at a Brovarney Jig first. Then at a Yum Dinger and Blitz Frog.  I got it on the War Eagle Buzz Toad.  I then got a few pike on the WEBT and the Blitz Frog.  I possibly lost one bass on the Blitz Frog.  I ran to the Starting Spot and got 1 pike there on the Blitz Frog.  Not sure what the bass were up to tonight.

1 Dog
7 Pike

It Got Windy Tonight When The Front Passed

2.95lbs/17.33" Terminator Frog (Yellow)

No rain, but man was there was wind

6:00-8:20PM Channel Inn Bay, NW Sullivan Reeds
75-64℉, Mostly Sunny to Mostly Cloudy, 4-25mph SW NW
WT: 68-66℉

On the way out I detoured to Channel Inn Bay.  I was going to start at the Melon Patch.  I started at the dogfish pad patch and worked my way north.  Seagulls were flying over the bay  I got a small pike off of the rice on the bone Teckel Sprinker.  Then I got a 13.75-inch bass out over the flat on the Sprinker. There was a lot of baitfish activity as the front approached.  Stuff started getting hit where I was headed.  I got a 14.5-incher in the deep junk.  Then nothing.  I told myself if I' not getting hit that has to mean fish aren't there and started moving a little quicker then the front rolled through.  I had to anchor for boat control. I lost the whole tail apparatus off of the bone Sprinker when a fish blasted it.  The wind was ridiculous.   I was just going to head in, but then I thought the NW reed bed in Sullivan would be protected.  I set down in the reed bed and started moving toward shore when something got busted in the boat lane.  I put a cast there and got the 3 pounda on the Terminator frog. In the pads toward shore, I got a pike.  I then lost what must have been a pike on the RTX Jig in the pads.  I ended up getting the jig stuck on a reed and breaking off because the line was frayed because I didn't check the line, doh.  I got a 13-incher on the junebug craw tube in the reeds.  I then got the Texas rig bit off and that was a wrap.

4 Bass
2 Pike